Inspiring Women make a splash at London Aquatics Centre

Last week BT Sport broadcaster Clare Balding joined Inspiring Women founder Miriam González Durántez and 300 girls from 18 state schools at the London Aquatics Centre for ‘career speed networking’ with women working across the sport sector.

Influential women from sports governing bodies, professional athletes and members of sports media took part including Alliance CEO Emma Boggis and Alliance board member Jane Bateman.

Backed by BT Sport, the British Olympic Association and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Inspiring Women calls upon females working in this sector to pledge one hour a year to talk with girls in state schools nationally about forging a career in this traditionally male dominated industry.

The ‘career speed networking’ which acts much like a careers version of speed-dating, saw a range of athletes and people from sports-related jobs giving advice to girls from 18 London schools. Those women lending their experience and inspiration included Team GB 400m runner Perri Shakes-Drayton and canoeist Catherine Slim.

During the Inspiring Women in Sport Week which ran from 23 February to 1 March 2015, events took place encouraging girls to aspire to work in the sector at some great sporting locations. From the London Aquatics Centre, to Murrayfield rugby ground in Edinburgh and the National Tennis Centre in west London the sector came together to get girls interested and inspired about a career in sport.

Inspiring Women ‘career speed networker’ and BT Sport broadcaster Clare Balding said:

"I have been lucky enough to work in sports broadcasting and journalism for over twenty years. I love my job and am determined to do as much as I can to help girls and young women aware of the opportunities available in sport for a fulfilling and enjoyable career."

Speaking on the day of the event, Inspiring Women campaign founder and champion Miriam González Durántez said:

"It is wonderful to see the Olympic Aquatics Centre taken over by so many amazing women and girls sharing a common interest: sport. It is particularly uplifting to see, for the first time, all the sport bodies united with the aim of inspiring the next generations of girls. All the women who have come today are sharing their experiences with the girls and showing to them the many fulfilling and rewarding sport sector careers that are within their reach."

Talking about her experience of the day, Sport and Recreation Alliance CEO Emma Boggis said,

“The sport and recreation sector has so many inspirational women working within it, it was fantastic to see so many of them coming together to encourage the next generation of girls to follow their dreams.

When I was a teenager I don't even think I considered a career in sport. Although it has taken me nearly 20 years to find my first role I couldn't be happier so maybe I should have thought about it a bit sooner.

There is such a great variety of roles available to women within our sector. If I can play my part to help ensure that girls have the means and are powered with the ambition to apply for and succeed in them then I hope I can help the next generation.

I think many of the girls were as,if not, more excited to see Tom Daley training and then listening to him being interviewed by Clare Balding. If that makes the day even more memorable for the girls then he has played his part too!"

Alliance board member Jane Bateman added, "The London Aquatic Centre lent itself as an inspiring venue for the ‘Inspiring Women’ flagship event which I attended last week. It was a perfect setting for women working in sport to engage with young girls from local schools to talk about our careers and experiences in the industry. It was particularly fitting that the backdrop to the event was, by chance, Olympic athlete Tom Daly practising his dives, and for my colleagues and I to then bring home the point that there is so much more to sport than elite competition.

“I am sure that events such as these help youngsters to think more creatively about their futures, and how they can incorporate their interests into their career paths. The point I made was that whilst I work in football, I have never played football nor do I need to learn. (Thankfully!) However, to do my job well, I need to be good at writing, organising, networking and interacting with people of different nationalities.

“I think the event opened the girls’ eyes to the possibilities of working in sport in the future, and the vast range of different opportunities that exist”.

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